What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most people working from home (14.9%).

Orford has grown the fastest since 2010 (0%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Canaan	Orford
People
Population	3,811Highest	1,295Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	0%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.4±3.7Lowest about the NH average	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH
	Orford and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Canaan and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Orford and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%	5%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Canaan and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH	$92,571±$24kHighest 7% below NH
	Orford and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$26kLowest 37% below NH	$271,900±$25kHighest 32% below NH
	Orford and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Lowest 24% below NH	$1,263±$686Highest 15% below NH
	Orford and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Highest 10% below NH	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%	37.8%±10.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	14.9%±6Highest NH: 16.8%	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Canaan and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#83 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	Rivendell Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	9.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.